If there’s one thing that Auburn can take away from Saturday’s game against Arkansas, it’s that the season isn’t over — not even close.

Coming into Week 8, the Tigers had managed to rack up over 1,500 yards through the air (1,513) and on the ground (1,557). They continued that balanced attack against the Razorbacks.

The 52-20 decimation didn’t start off pretty for Auburn (6-2, 4-1)  — they were only leading 17-6 at halftime — but the third quarter brought with it a completely new Tigers team, including an offense that exploded for 239 yards (117 on the ground, 122 through the air) and 28 points.

Starting quarterback Jarrett Stidham didn’t look his sharpest, but he did manage a 67.9 percent completion rate on his 28 attempts for 218 yards. The Baylor transfer also managed to create some big plays with his legs, rushing four times for 49 yards and a touchdown. He did throw his third interception of the season — without having a touchdown pass (third time this season) — but it was a serviceable performance.

The most pleasant surprise of the night was the return of Kamryn Pettway, who mustered up 90 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries. His 38-yard touchdown in the middle of the third quarter seemingly showed a healthy running back ready to be a major contributor to the Tigers’ offense for the second half of the season.

While Saturday didn’t see the best performance from star running back Kerryon Johnson — 21 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown — there were still flashes of the same runner who stepped up in a big way during the Pettway’s absence.

It’ll be interesting to see how Auburn deploys its thunder and lightning duo now that both seem to have their health, but the fact that both are finally able to see the field at the same time isn’t good for the rest of the SEC.

The Tigers did receive some more bad news, however. Starting right tackle Darius James was carted off the field with an injury to his left leg. After starting eight games at left tackle last season, James was moved to the right side, and was really starting to hit his stride.

The hope is that the injury isn’t too serious, as it would be the second offensive lineman in recent weeks — Mike Horton has been dealing with an ankle injury.

This Auburn team still controls its destiny for the most part, and Saturday night’s game against the Razorbacks proved to be the first step toward achieving everything it had hoped coming into the season.

The fielding of a balanced offense — combined with an effective defense — is a dangerous thing for upcoming opponents.